Learning To Win Ugly
The first three quarters of Wednesday’s game were some of the worst the Milwaukee Bucks have played this season. They don’t merit much reflection, but they certainly shouldn’t be forgotten as the team heads back home to Milwaukee.
For a team as young as the Bucks, winning is far from easy. The games where they have dominated and looked comfortable for the majority have even come back to bite them at times when they needed to close things out. Part of the lesson in all of that needs to be that you don’t have to play perfectly to win.
When you’re a good team, which the young Bucks are certainly showing signs of becoming, you can win games when you’re not at your best. You can win games that you certainly don’t deserve to win.
Still, to actually pull that off, you need to remain focused for 48 minutes. It would have been easy for the Bucks to hang their heads on Wednesday. Trailing a Knicks team who had lost five straight and were without Kristaps Porzingis by 16 points didn’t look good on paper and it can’t have felt great in the moment for the players.
The Bucks showed commitment, resolve and determination in turning the game around, though. It’s easy to dismiss the outcome as they ultimately just beat a bad Knicks team by one, but the opponent is less important than what’s a situational victory to some degree.
Playing horribly on the road, having trailed by a considerable margin heading into the fourth quarter, the Bucks pulled out a win. That’s immeasurable progress and invaluable experience.